IMPORTANT VOICES: PAUL FRANZ

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The voice of the dramatic tenor Paul Franz is surely one of the finest of all French-school singers that emerged in the years immediately prior to the outbreak of Worldwar I. A beautiful, bronze-like sound, a dark and powerful voice with fully blended registers, with ringing authority and noble, expansive phrasing. Unforced singing, at once lyrical and strong, with excellent phrasing and clear diction.

Initially an employee of the French railways, he only started vocal studies at the age of nearly 30 (!). In 1908 he won a competition for amateur singers and immediately attracted the attention ot the director of the Grand Opéra in Paris. His debut that same year as Lohengrin in Nantes was a remarkable success and he joined the ensemble of the Grand Opéra, where he remained as an admired member until 1938. Paul Franz was also admired for his impressive stage appearance. He was much acclaimed at Covent Garden where he sang between 1910 – 1914 (Raoul, Julien in Louise, Radames and Otello). In 1915 he appeared at La Scala and in 1918 at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. After his stage farewell he was appointed a professor at the Conservatoire National de Paris.

An absolutely adorable singer.

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